CONVERSATION WITH A BRACERO
t is really nice to meet other people that come from
different states and keep in contact, you meet lots of
people, sometime at the contracting center in Empalme
Sonora, Mexico you would see people and maybe the next
year you saw them there again or you would work together.
I
s bonito conocer a gente
de otros estados y seguir
E
relacionando; se conoce
mucha gente avecese cuando en
las contrataciones conocia gente y
al ano los volviamos haber alii o si
trabajabamos juntos y devuelta en
Empalme Sonora, Mexico no volviamos a ver.
My experience went well, I liked the atmosphere, in other
words, the life style here was different from the one back
home. It was very different, everywhere that I went the food
that I ate was good.
What I wanted to do was experience new things, I wanted
to know places I wanted to explore lots of place and lots of
jobs. I did not get too attached to a single job, well that was
until I got to Limoneira.
There were jobs that were very difficult, picking cotton is
a very difficult task, it is so hard that the sack, the bag is so
long to stuff it with cotton. Cotton is so light that to fill a
bag with 100 kg you needed lots of effort.
BIOGRAPHY
Antonio Nuno Gonzalez was born June 23,1936 in San Jose de
Gracia, Jalisco Mexico; located in the region called Los Altos de
Jalisco few miles away from Tepatitlan. He is the youngest of
three brothers. His dream was to come to the United States and
work five to six years and save some money so that he could return to Mexico and build a house for his mother. Since his older
brothers joined the Bracero Program he soon followed them in
their footsteps. In 1958 he enlisted in the Bracero Program and
was sent to Brawley, California. Then two years later he worked
in the tomato fields of Rio Vista, C A . In 1961 he arrived in Oxnard to pick strawberries and celery. A year later he traveled
north to pick strawberries in Watsonville, C A . During the last
year of the Bracero Program he picked tomatoes in Hollister,
C A . After the Bracero Program ended he returned to work for
his former employers in Ventura County. He got a job at Limoneira Ranch and received his permanent residency (green card).
BIOGRAFIA
El senor Antonio Nuno Gonzalez nacio el dia 23 de junio del 1936
en San Jose de Gracia, Jalisco Mexico; que esta localizado en la
region conocida como Los Altos de Jalisco a pocos kilometros de
Tepatitlan. Es menor de tres hermanos. Su suerio era de venir
a los Estados Unidos y trabajar por cinco o seis arios para ahorrar dinero y luego regresar a Mexico para construir una casa a su
mama. Sus hermanos vinieron primero con el programa bracero
y al poco tiempo el senor Gonzalez los siguio. El senor Gonzalez
vino al los estados unidos por primera vez con el programa bracero en 1958 a Brawley, C A . La segunda vez llego a Rio Vista, C A
en i960. En 1961 trabajo pizcando fresas y apio en Oxnard. El
ultimo ario del programa bracero le toco a pizcar fresas en Watsonville, C A y despues a pizcar tomate en Hollister, C A en 1963.
Despues cuando el programa bracero termino el regreso a trabajar en el Condado de Ventura y encontro trabajo en el Rancho
de Limoneira y recibio su permiso de residencia.
A mi me fue bien, me gustaba el ambiente, osea era una vida
diferente a la que nosotros teniamos en Mexico...es muy
diferente, para mi todo el tiempo donde yo estuve la
comida era muy buena.
Yo lo que queria era como experimental queria con^
ocer, mucho lugares conocer mucho trabajos, no me
aferre mucho al mismo trabajo; solo cuando llegue a
Limonera.
Avia trabajos muy duros; el pizcar algodon es muy duro,
es tan duro que el costal, el saco, la bolsa es larga, pa'
que agarre el algodon, el algodon es muy livianito y pa'
llenar una bolsa de esas con 100 kg se necesita mucho y
mucho esfuerzo.